


Blood Red Snow

by Silverfox588



Series: Blood Series [2]
Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: M/M, Revolution AU, Sorta Bromance, Spoiler for episode 30
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 06:17:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8045518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverfox588/pseuds/Silverfox588
Summary: Set during the final days of the Revolution, Kenshin and Saito face off yet again. Only this time, they end up having to depend on each other to survive.





	1. The River

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on fanfiction.net under the same title and author name.

Saito’s POV

I watched Okita disappear and turned to face the Battousai. We had fought hours before in an empty field. My ribs ached from a kick that the Battousai had landed and I saw a bandage on the Battousai’s right leg from where my sword had sliced open the skin but had done no other damage. The fight had lasted only a few minutes before the soldiers had arrived and forced us to stop the battle. 

“You ready to die Battousai?” I asked drawing my sword. Across from me, the Battousai said nothing, just drew his sword. I moved first, feinting to the right before throwing a punch. The Battousai dodged the attack and jumped above me. He pushed himself off the wall of the nearest building and met my second attack head on.

I was forced back down the street as the attacks became more aggressive and we were soon on an old bridge overlooking the partially frozen river. Each attack made the bridge shake and groan; bits of wood fell into the water. I felt the Battousai’s sword slide into my right side and I was pushed back against the side of the bridge. The rotted wood began to snap and I grabbed hold of the Battousai. The Battousai swung his sword sheath at my head; I caught the blow behind my left ear and when my body went slack, the wood gave way. We hit the icy water and were carried by the current downstream. When I hit the water, the cold snapped me back into action. I saw the water around me turning red with my blood and tried to get out of the water by grabbing the ice. A large piece broke off and forced me into the center of the river. 

The Battousai was behind me and he grabbed hold of the ice piece near my arm. The river ran straight for nearly a mile before curving and the current forced us against the shore. I dragged myself as far onto the bank as possible before collapsing. My side and head were throbbing with pain. The Battousai was already on his feet and staring at me. I saw my vision darkening and knew I couldn’t stay awake much longer, so I stopped fighting it and gave into unconsciousness. 

Kenshin’s POV

 

My body ached from the cold and I knew that if I didn’t find shelter that I was going to freeze to death. Looking around, I saw a stand of trees that hadn’t been destroyed by fire and started to walk towards them. I only made it a few feet before stopping to look back at the Wolf of Mibu. He was injured and would die out in the winter weather. I went back to him and looked at his face. He had a bruise starting where I had hit him and blood was staining the snow around his chest. I sighed and put one of his arms around my shoulder. He was heavy, but it wasn’t very far to the trees. 

As I dragged him in, I instantly felt a difference in the temperature. The trees made excellent cover and there was enough dry branches to start a large fire. I laid Saito down and saw that he had lost his sword in the river. His body was shaking and then I realized that mine was also. I began to get the wood ready and I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. Saito’s eyes are open and staring at me. He growls when I step towards him but he makes no moves at all. Then I realized that he was still asleep and I continued my work.

After a few minutes the fire is burning nicely and I pulled off my wet clothes, leaving on my under clothes. The fire feels wonderful against my cold skin and I look over at Saito again. He was still bleeding and his breathing was becoming ragged. I stepped closer to him and put two of my fingers against his throat. The pulse was slow, but strong. I began to pull off his clothes as well and laid all of the clothes beside the fire to dry. I used part of his shirt to bandage the wound on his side and sat close to the fire. The heat seeped into my body and I fell asleep.

 

TBC….


	2. Traveling

Saito’s POV 

I felt an intense heat beside me and I slowly opened my eyes. I was lying beside a fire and my side was bandaged. I rose slightly and saw the Battousai asleep across from me. He was gripping tightly to his sword and I looked around for mine. It was gone, probably at the bottom of the river. I reached for a piece of wood and the Battousai woke with barely a start. He watched me closely, but I just put the wood on the fire. 

“So you’re finally awake.” He said quietly. “You’ve been unconscious for nearly four hours.”

“Why did you pull me out of the river Battousai?” I asked sitting up carefully. The wound in my side was bleeding through what looked like part of my shirt. The Battousai remained silent.

I saw my clothes beside the fire and reached for them, but the effort of stretching tore open the wound even more and I winced. The Battousai leaned over and handed me my clothes. I swore under my breath and pulled on my shirt. It was still a little damp, but at least it wasn’t frozen. The Battousai was pulling on his clothes as well.

“Why did you save me Battousai?” I ask again my voice deepening slightly. I was in no mood to be ignored.

“Why shouldn’t I have saved you Saito?” He answered staring deep into the flickering flames. He glanced up at me and his eyes were a dark, calm purple instead of the striking gold I had come to know. This Battousai was calm and almost peaceful. He stared at me a moment longer and then back into the flames. I looked around the grove of trees we were in and heard the wind begin to pick up.

“We need to get to a safer shelter. There is a storm brewing out there Battousai.” I said stiffly standing up. I limped to the edge of the trees and took in our surroundings. “There are caves not far from here; they would make a better shelter.”

The Battousai said nothing when he stood; he just put out the fire and headed towards me. He studied my movements as I studied his. He was limping as well, but the damage was minor and he had a bruise forming along his neck; probably from when the bridge collapsed. I limped forward and he fell in slightly behind me. 

Kenshin’s POV

Saito walked to the east and didn’t talk. It was strange, we were trying to kill each other not five hours ago and now we were both trying to stay alive. I rubbed my right knee as we walked; I had hit it on a rock trying not to drown in the river. Saito’s question was bothering me. Why had I saved him? I stayed close behind Saito because it had started to snow and it was getting hard to see.

“How much further to the caves?” I asked before I sunk hip deep into a snow drift. I saw Saito turn to watch me and I glared as he smirked at me.

“Stuck?” He asked watching me struggled to stay upright. He moved forward quickly and grabbed me by the front of my shirt. Saito hauled me forward and out of the snow bank. He held me up so my feet weren’t touching the ground for a moment and then put me on my feet. Saito turned and walked away before I could say a word.

I let out a curse and continued to follow him. As I walked, I watched the path and began to see blood red snow. Saito’s wound was bleeding badly again and I knew if he didn’t rest soon that he would die. Why was I suddenly so worried about my rival’s health? He had been trying to kill me for years and I had been trying to kill him. Why were we helping each other?

‘Why’d you save me?’ Saito had asked. Why, I had no idea, but we were still alive because of it. I was so lost in thought that I ran right into Saito as he stopped.

“Watch where you’re going Battousai. The caves are just ahead, but the pass getting to them is dangerous this time of year so pay attention” Saito ordered. The order was to keep us alive, but it still irritated me.

Saito’s POV

I watched the Battousai’s eyes change from purple to gold instantly and tensed for an attack. He didn’t move; he just waited for me to continue to the caves. The wind howled through the pass and I stayed alert for the possibility of a rock slide. There had been one here not two weeks ago and it had killed one of my messengers. The Battousai’s limp was getting worse and I felt weaker than before. I glanced down at the ground and saw my blood dripping onto the white snow. I saw the caves and entered the nearest one. It was big enough for the two of us and I saw the wood pile was still there.

“Start a fire if you can.” I said sitting down against the nearest wall immediately. The Battousai ignored me and kneeled down in front of me. “I am fine Battousai.”

“You’re bleeding badly and I have to stop the bleeding if you are to live you stubborn wolf. Don’t argue with me because you’re in no position to win.” He said in an angry voice. He reached forward to take off my shirt and I caught hold of his arm. He easily brushed away my hand and yanked at the fabric. I growled and I saw his fist flying towards me but could do nothing about it. I felt the punch and then nothing.

 

TBC….


	3. Wounds

Kenshin’s POV

I caught Saito as he fell sideways and eased him down into a laying position. Idiot wolf, he should have said something before. I removed the bandage that I had put on earlier and probed the wound gently. The edges were ragged and swelling rapidly. I sighed and tore another piece of fabric from his shirt and placed it on the wound. The fabric was cold and it made Saito shiver slightly. Looking around I saw a wood pile and went to start the fire. Though the cave offered more protection than the stand of trees had, it was also colder. 

The fire warmed the cave gradually and I pulled Saito away from the wall near the entrance. I looked around the rest of the cave slowly, not wanting to disturb any animals that were hiding farther back. I found a medicine box and some supplies as well. Saito was semiconscious and sitting up by the time I had dragged the medicine box back to the fire. The bandage was on the floor.

“Lay down you idiot.” I snapped limping over to him. “You’ll bleed to death if you keep moving around.”

Saito didn’t respond he just sat there staring at me. I went to him and shoved him back down roughly, getting a hiss of pain from the wolf. I opened the box and found a needle and thread in a smaller box. There was also a small pan for boiling water. I took the pan and got some snow from outside the cave. I set it in the coals and sat on Saito’s left side. He reached out and grabbed my right hand and brought it to his mouth. He bit my arm hard and I jerked backwards. He smirked and closed his eyes.

“That was for hitting me.” Saito said before passing out. I rubbed the sore spot and made sure that he didn’t draw blood. There was a bruise in the shape of his teeth but nothing more.

Soon the water was boiling and I used some clean rags to wash Saito’s wound. Then I worked on stitching the skin back together. It was rough work, but at least Saito would stop bleeding if he laid still for a day or so. I cleaned up the mess that I made and piled more wood on the fire before closing my eyes to sleep.

Saito’s POV

I opened my eyes and regretted it almost immediately. I was dizzy and my side ached almost unbearably. I turned my head to see the Battousai sleeping not far away and remembered that he had punched me. Then I remembered the bite I had given him. I chuckled weakly and that woke the Battousai. He moved toward me and I smirked at him.

“What is so funny?” He asked glaring. I laughed harder and my side began to throb. The Battousai stared. “Stop laughing because if you tear those stitches I’ll slit your throat.”

I stopped laughing gradually and sighed. I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time. The Battousai rolled his eyes and reached towards me. His fingers touched my forehead and remained there for a moment. I let out a pathetic growl and it was the Battousai’s turn to laugh.

“Poor wolf pup. All bark and no bite today.” He taunted before walking away from me. I felt my temper rising and the strength that came from it gave me just enough power to sit up on my own. The Battousai turned around. “LAY DOWN!!!” 

I felt my strength drain away as fast as it had come and I lay back down on the cold floor. I glared at the Battousai as he checked the stitches and I grabbed onto his pants leg as he turned to walk away again.

“Why did you save me again Battousai?” I asked holding his gaze for a minute. He easily pulled away and didn’t answer my question for a second time. He had found the supplies and he pulled out some hard tack to chew gnaw on. He tossed some to me and stared into the fire. “Answer me Battousai.”

“Eat and rest wolf. Then I’ll answer you.”He said quietly turning to look at me. His eyes were purple again and for some odd reason they put me at ease. I ate and then went to sleep. 

Kenshin’s POV 

I watched the wolf sleep and began to think about his question again. Why had I saved him? I knew I had an answer for him, but it eluded me yet again. So I finished my meal and bandaged my own wounds before falling asleep as well.

 

TBC…


	4. Rest

Saito’s POV

I knew that the Battousai was asleep and I waited to open my eyes for a moment. My head wasn’t hurting as bad as before, but my side burned. I carefully I sat up and reached for the nearest piece of wood; the fire had died down and it was cold again. The dry wood caught fire easily and I lay back down, feeling the stitches pull at the edges of the wound. I lifted the bandages and inspected the Battousai’s handiwork. It was rough work, but it kept me from bleeding to death. The Battousai shifted in his sleep and then opened his eyes to stare at me. His eyes were back to gold.

“I told you if you tore those stitches I’d slit your throat. Don’t get up again Wolf.” The Battousai growled at me. I began to sit up slowly and he was at my side almost instantly. “You don’t know how to follow orders do you? Your acting like an ahou you know that.”

“I can’t lay like that for that long Battousai.” I growled back resisting his attempts to get me to lay back. He glared and then helped me to sit up against the heavy medicine box from the back of the cave. “You never answered my question from last night Battousai.”

“That is because I don’t have an answer for you Wolf. I don’t know why I saved you.” He answered resuming his position by the other side of the fire. I watched his eyes change to purple for a while and then back to gold. “Is there a town near here that we can get to? We cannot sit here for much longer.”

I thought of the terrain again and shook my head, which made me dizzy again. The Battousai sighed and then stood up. I saw fresh blood stain his own bandages and reached backwards into the box.

“What are you doing?” He asked sharply. “If you tear those…”

“Yes I know. If I tear my stitches you’ll slit my throat. But you have just torn your own stitches and they need to be redone, so come here and I’ll stitch up your wounds.” I snapped back. He looked like he was about to argue with me. “Now Battousai.”

He frowned but came over to me and sat down where I could reach his wounds. I smirked; even Okita obeyed me when I used that tone of voice. I took a small blade and cut away the ragged stitches that the Battousai had done and started on my own.

Kenshin’s POV

I winced as Saito cut out the stitches I had done and started with his own stitches. He was so annoying when he didn’t listen but I had to admit, Saito’s stitches were far better than mine. He probed the bottom of one cut and muttered under his breath. He reached back into the box and came out with a smaller blade than the one he had cut out the stitches with. He cut into my skin just below where he had stopped the stitches. I let out a hiss of pain as he pushed hard against the wound.

“What in the hell are you doing?” I asked as the pain spread from my abdomen to my spine. He had hit a very sensitive nerve. He ignored me and focused on my wound. “Wolf what in the hell are you doing?”

“Stop your complaining and stay still.” He ordered as my body began to shake from pain. He grabbed one shoulder and forced me down. The pain lessened somewhat, but my body was still shaking. Saito ripped a piece of my shirt sleeve off and rolled it up. “Bite down on this. This is going to hurt like hell.”

I did as Saito asked and the pain became excruciating. My vision became dark and I stopped fighting it. I passed out gratefully.

Saito’s POV

I was grateful when the Battousai finally passed out. This was going to be hard enough without him shaking. I found the piece of metal again and began to ease it out of his flesh. It was the very tip of an arrow. The arrow head was jagged and it would have poisoned the Battousai within a few weeks if he had lived that long. I put the arrow head down and probed deeper into the wound to see if any of the shaft was left in as well. There was nothing else so I stitched up the wound. 

I put a pad of bandages over the abdominal wound but didn’t wrap the bandages around his abdomen. I was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but as long as the Battousai was asleep I had to keep watch. It was safer that way and I wasn’t sure how he was going to react to my surgery so I wanted to be awake for his reaction. I picked up the arrow head and turned it over in my hand.

“You should have had this removed Battousai. It was dangerous to leave it in. And you said I was acting like an ahou.” I mused placing another piece of wood in to fire. I stayed awake for another hour before I decided to sleep. 

TBC...


	5. Tempers Flare

Kenshin’s POV 

I woke up slowly with pain lancing through my abdomen. I couldn’t remember what had happened. I turned my head toward Saito and saw that he was awake and watching me. He looked annoyed and I couldn’t help but smile at him. Saito rolled his eyes and shifted to his left, making him wince. I tried to sit up, but Saito put one hand on my shoulder and bared his teeth at me like a wolf. I looked down at my abdomen and saw bandages wrapped neatly around it. 

“What happened, Wolf? What did you do to me?” I asked the pain lessening to a dull throb. Saito let out a mirthless laugh.

“”I only removed to arrow you left in your side you ahou. If you had left in a little longer you would have died from an infection.” Saito answered rubbing his own wound gently. He reached back into the box and pulled out a bottle. He uncorked the bottle and I smelled alcohol. “Do you want some?”

“No. You shouldn’t be drinking either. We need to keep focused.” I said watching him take a long drink from the bottle. Saito pointed toward the mouth of the cave and I saw that there was barely any light coming in.

“We are buried in here Battousai. What exactly am I supposed to be focused on?” Saito asked taking another drink of the liquor. I felt a twinge of panic start but I stamped down on it immediately. There was no way I could show weakness in front of the Wolf of Mibu. Saito was staring at me and I looked away from him and into the fire. I reached out toward him and he put the bottle in my hand with a diminutive snort. 

“How much food do we have?” I asked answering his question with another just to irritate him. I took a swig of the liquor and stared at him slightly shocked. “Whiskey? Where did you get this?”

“We stole it, obviously.” Saito said with a straight face. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. Why, is it not to your liking?” 

“Shut up, it was just a question.” I muttered darkly before taking another sip of the whiskey. It burned on the way down my throat but it lessened the pain in my abdomen. 

Saito’s POV

I watched the Battousai drink the whiskey and smirked. It was going to be fun to see how the liquor affected him. I held out my hand for the bottle back and he gave it back reluctantly. I took a drink and settled the bottle near the fire so it warmed. The Battousai glanced at the cave mouth again and I saw him shiver somewhat. The feeling of being trapped was starting to get to me as well but I knew that there was another exit somewhere in the back. It was rarely used and it was dangerous because of the narrow trail. 

“Battousai, relax. There is another way out of the cave.” I said earning a hopeful glance from him and then a death glare. “Neither of us is in any condition to take that exit though. It is a narrow trail and it drops down a little more than fifty feet on the left side. We would both need to be in our best condition to take that path.”

“This isn’t some joke is it?” He asked shifting to the right and lying down on his uninjured side. I saw his body relax considerably. “You said that there were no towns nearby.”

“No joke. The trail leads to another cave farther down the river and it is another fifteen miles to a town. There are a few camps, but you don’t want to go to any of them. They’d kill you in a heartbeat.” I answered truthfully. I saw no reason to lie to him at this point. I reached for the whiskey and felt the stitches tug and begin to tear. I winced and saw the Battousai’s eyes dart to my side.

“Have they torn?” He asked with a glare. I nodded and he sat up slowly before climbing to his feet. He walked over to me and knelt down beside me carefully. He lifted up my shirt and then the bandages. I saw blood dripping from the end of the sword wound and the Battousai glowered at me.

“Are you going to slit my throat?” I asked with a grin. He glared at me and then poked me hard in the wound. My breath caught in my throat and my arm shot out, catching him hard on the jaw. The Battousai fell back and landed on his arm. I heard something crunch and we both groaned. My wounds were bleeding severely now.

Kenshin’s POV

That BASTARD!!!! I let out a small whimper as I moved my left arm; I knew that it was broken. I lashed out with my foot and caught Saito hard in the side. I felt some of his ribs give way and we were both rolling on the floor in pain. I curled up and felt tears running down my face.

“You bastard!” I managed to say between gasps. I held my arm to my chest and tried to feel how it had broken. It was a clean break as far as I could tell and I looked over at Saito. He was lying on his back, clutching his side and his ribs. Saito moaned and looked back at me. “What in the HELL is wrong with you? Why’d you hit me?”

“It was a reflex.” Saito answered his breathing ragged and his face becoming paler by the second. “You broke my ribs.”

“You broke my arm.” I snapped back sitting up slowly. I automatically felt dizzy and I rested my head in my good hand. Saito sighed and he tried to sit up but he couldn’t. I saw the blood starting to pool beneath him and I moved toward him. “Don’t move around and DON’T hit me.”

Saito gave me a slight nod and let his hand fall to the floor. I removed the bandages and took the medical kit out again. I tried to get the thread in the needle but without my left arm, it was impossible. Saito reached up and took the needle and thread from me. His hands were shaking harshly but he was able to get the thread through the eye of the needle. Saito handed it back to me and I tried to begin the stitches. He grabbed my hand and steadied it. I was able to get the stitches done with help from Saito. He kept my hand steady the entire time. When I cut the thread, Saito’s hand dropped and his eyes closed. I saw the bruises starting to form on his chest and I felt for his pulse in his neck, it was weak. I bandaged his wounds the best I could and then I tried to bandage my arm. It was painful and after I finished, I took a long pull of whiskey and lay down beside Saito. I closed my eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep.

 

 

TBC…


	6. Injuries and Wild Emotions

Saito’s POV

Every breath I take sends spasms of agony through my body. I open my eyes and let out a small moan. The fire is almost out and there is very little heat coming from it. The Battousai is lying beside me and he looks like he is in a lot of pain as well. I reached over slowly and touched the arm that was not bandaged. He muttered something under his breath but stayed asleep. I let out a sigh and instantly regretted it. I tried to sit up enough to grab some of the firewood, but I could barely raise my head. My movement woke the Battousai, who sat up and sent a death glare my way.

“If you even try to get up, I will beat you to death with a piece of firewood and drag your carcass outside for the wolves to feed on.” He growled throwing some more wood onto the fire, kicking up sparks. I didn’t even have the strength to piss him off by asking how he would get me outside when the entrance was blocked. I just lay there, watching his every move. The Battousai held his broken arm close and went to dig in the box, trying to find a sling for his arm. I ran over the list of items in my head and made a note to make sure that all items were packed for the next box that was placed here. There was nothing for major injuries placed in this box.

“There is nothing in there to hold your arm Battousai.” I said quietly, watching his frustration grow. He glowered at me and I let out another sigh. He was going to give me the silent treatment, I hate the silent treatment. For some reason, I could give somebody else the silent treatment but I couldn’t stand when it was done to me. “You might as well help me sit up so I can make a sling for you. I promise I’ll keep better control of my reflexes.”

The Battousai ignored me and kept digging in the box. I got one elbow beneath me and tried to push up. He froze and glared at me, he was ready to kill me. I couldn’t control the groan that escaped my lips and the Battousai started muttering under his breath. When I continued to move, the Battousai decided to stop the silent treatment and he came over to my side.

“Are you stupid or something Wolf? Lay back down.” He snapped grabbing my shoulder and pushing me down. I seized his arm and he came down on top of me. Pain exploded throughout my body and we both whimpered. “You bloody AHOU!!!!” 

I groaned and the Battousai sat up. He was sitting just below my sword wound and just above my belt. I caught hold of his free arm and held him still long enough for me to get a hold of his shirt. He stiffened and I ripped the edge of it in two long strips. 

“What exactly are you doing?” He snapped holding almost perfectly still as I tightened my grip on his arm. I ignored him and continued to tear his shirt until I was satisfied that I had enough for a sling. 

“Making a sling because there isn’t one in the box.” I said through clenched teeth. My ribs were beginning to ache but I ignored them. The Battousai nodded and he let me get his arm into the sling that I made. I laid my head back when I finished and he moved off of me. I closed my eyes and tried to get my breathing back under control. “If you go look near the back of the cave, you’ll find a gap in the back wall. Don’t go into it, but make sure that the entrance isn’t blocked too badly. We can get out of here that way a little later if you are feeling up to it.”

I opened my eyes and saw that the Battousai was standing near the fire glaring at me again. He began muttering under his breath, but grabbed a burning stick and stalked to the back of the cave. I smirked and began the slow process of trying to sit back up. 

Kenshin’s POV

My arm did feel better now that I had some support holding it up, but I was still mad at the Wolf. He was going to kill the both of us by being so damn stubborn. And if he gives me another order, I’m going to kick his ass. I shifted the burning brand so it was higher and slowed down as I reached the back of the cave. I saw a shadow that was deeper than the rest and walked toward it. As I got closer I noticed that there was a slight blockage but it could easily be moved. I walked back over to Saito and tossed the branch back into the fire.

“It’s slightly –“I started until I saw that he was sitting up. I snapped. I slapped him upside the head with my good arm. He let out a strangled sound that sounded like a yelp. “Ahou! What did I tell you?”

“That you would beat me to death and drag me outside for the wolves, but you’re forgetting that there is no entrance anymore. So I guess you’d have to put up with my bloody corpse if you kill me.” Saito said rubbing where I had hit him, which I realized was where I had hit him with my sheath earlier. The bruise was dark purple and it was still swollen. “Was the entrance blocked or not?”

“It was partially blocked, but we should be able to get through.” I answered sitting beside him. I groaned as my arm shifted in the sling, the bandage had come loose when I had been exploring the back of the cave. Saito looked at me with predatory eyes making me shiver. “How long will it take for us to get to the next cave?”

“It took a day in good condition. In the shape we are in, I would say about three days.” Saito answered staring into my eyes in a show of dominance on his part. I stared back just to annoy him, but after a moment, I couldn’t hold his gaze. “You’re different from before Battousai.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my breath hitching slightly. I knew this would come up after I didn’t tell him why I had saved him from the river and from himself afterwards. I looked down at the fire, not wanting to look into Saito’s eyes. Saito reached over and grabbed my chin; forcing me to look at him. I flinched.

Saito’s POV

There was something off about the Battousai, I could sense it and it was bothering me. I searched his face, but could find nothing. I let him go and he moved away from me. I decided that it wasn’t worth fighting with him over, so I let it go. I shifted my left shoulder and it cracked loudly. It sounded louder than it was because it was silent in the cave. 

“You aren’t the same as before.” I said again. “You are quieter and your eyes have changed.”

“Leave it be Wolf! It has nothing to do with you.” The Battousai snapped, his eyes turning gold almost instantly. I gave him a grin that showed my canines. It irritated him even more.

“Why? You have acted strangely since you saved me from the river. And you still haven’t answered my question about why you saved me in the first place?”

“Leave it be damn you!” He yelled standing up suddenly, only to double over when he tore his stitches. I rolled my eyes and reached into the box behind me. “Are you happy now?”

“No, now come over here so I can re-stitch the wound.” I said as he put pressure on the wound. He glared at me, but walked over slowly and sat down by me. I gently removed his arm from the sling and balanced it on my leg. Then I opened his shirt to get to the bloody bandages. The Battousai just sat there sullenly as I began to stitch the wound again.

“Saito, just leave it be. I don’t want to talk about it and neither of us have the strength to fight each other.” He said after a few minutes of silence. I looked up from my work for a moment and caught a faraway look in his eyes. I sighed and poke the wound gently, which snapped him out of it. “Why do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?” I asked leaning back to take the pressure off of my ribs. I was beginning to think that sitting up was a bad idea. The Battousai was glaring at me, but I really didn’t care. 

“What do you think? Poking and prodding my wounds. Why do you keep doing that?” He asked as I finished re-stitching the wound. I replaced the bandages and helped him move his arm back into the sling. “Answer me!”

“Because you’re acting like a child, spacing out at the worst times and treating me like I’m nothing more than a worthless house dog with no teeth. You need to stay focused on the present and not look at the past right now. If you don’t stay focused, we’ll both die here.” I snapped my temper finally reaching the boiling point. “I may be wounded, but I will not go down without a fight. I will continue to bring you back to reality because I have no intention of dying outside of a battle.”

I shocked myself as well as the Battousai with that sudden explanation; we stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. I rubbed the bridge of my nose and decided that it would be easier if we didn’t talk to each other for awhile.

“We should rest if we are going to leave soon.” The Battousai said looking back at me. I nodded and closed my eyes. I was too tired to argue with him anymore and I wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.

 

TBC…


	7. Fever

Kenshin’s POV

I watched Saito close his eyes and fall asleep, but I just couldn’t fall asleep myself. I was still a little shocked at Saito’s explanation and I knew that I had been slipping lately. We are enemies, but I think that I am beginning to like Saito as a person; not just as a swordsman. I shifted slightly to the right and felt muscles in my left shoulder tighten up. I would have to start moving my arm again soon to keep the muscles from losing their strength. I reached across Saito and grabbed a piece of firewood. Saito’s eyes opened slightly as my sleeve brushed across his chest but they closed again instantly.

I laid back and stared up at the ceiling for awhile. I began to shiver faintly. Even with the fire going, it was becoming colder in the cave. I inched my way closer to Saito, who seemed to have a higher body temperature than most humans did. Saito was perfectly still until I was a few inches from him; then he let out a low growl in his sleep. Saito’s eyes opened again and this time they stayed open. He stared at me and then rolled his eyes.

“Cold?” Saito asked watching me shiver with a bored expression on his face. “Why aren’t you by the fire? It’ll keep you warmer.”

“You’re warmer than the fire is.” I said with a shrug. Saito growled again and tried to sit up. “Don’t even try it. We don’t have many supplies left and if you start bleeding again, I’ll let you die from your own stupidity.”

Saito glared at me and I ignored him. I shivered again and moved to sit right next to him. He grabbed my right arm and pushed up my sleeve. His hand was so warm that it burned my skin. I flinched at the contact but then leaned closer to Saito. He ran his hand up my arm and stopped at my shoulder.

“What are you doing?” I asked watching his eyes. His pupils were dilated and his breathing was slow and even. Saito ran his hand back down my arm and then he dropped his hand. “What is wrong with you Wolf?”

Saito’s POV

I stared at the Battousai and then at the fire. I don’t know why I ran my hand up his arm. I shivered and the Battousai laid his hand on my forehead gently. His hand was cool and I leaned towards him. 

“You’re running a fever Wolf. Stay lying down and I’ll get you a cold compress.” The Battousai said trying to stand up. He grabbed a rag and went over to the blocked entrance. He grabbed a handful of snow and wrapped it in the rag. He came back and placed it on my forehead. I shivered from the coolness but I didn’t try to remove the cloth. I reached up and grabbed Battousai’s right wrist. 

“Stay here.” I said, my vision getting blurry. The Battousai settled beside me and I closed my eyes. He flicked my nose until I opened my eyes again. “Don’t do that.”

“You need to stay awake Wolf. You may not wake up if you fall asleep.” He said turning over the cold compress. “Why don’t you tell me about your Gatotsu.”

“Why should I?” I asked shivering. “You just want to know my moves better so you can try to beat me.” 

“You’re paranoid Wolf. Just tell me about your damn Gatotsu.” The Battousai snapped poking me hard in the forehead. I growled at him and he rolled his eyes.

“Tell me about your Hiten Mitsurgi.” I muttered snapping at his finger as it came close again. I missed, making the Battousai chuckle. He sighed and turned the cold compress over again. I shivered at the cold, which made me whimper. Something I would deny if it was ever brought up. “Just talk to me Battousai, it’ll keep me awake much better than you poking me every few minutes.”

“Wow, the Wolf of Mibu has a soft side….”The Battousai muttered rubbing his left hand gently. I glared at him, which only made him chuckle again. “What do you want me to say?”

“Anything, just stop poking me.” I said baring my teeth at the finger that approached my forehead again. I was too tired to really argue with him, but he didn’t need to know that. He pulled his finger away and sighed. “Or would it be easier if I asked questions and you answered?”

“It would be easier, but it isn’t going to happen. Stop trying to be clever Wolf.” He said easing himself back onto the floor so he was laying parallel to me. “Why don’t you ever use my name?”

“Because I don’t.” I answered closing my eyes, only to receive a poke to my temple. “Stop it.”

“That wasn’t an answer and you need to stay awake.” The Battousai said with a look of annoyance. “Answer the question.”

I sighed and looked at the fire, it was dying. I made a small motion to the fire and the Battousai got up slowly. He walked over and grabbed a large log. As he slowly moved it towards the fire, I closed my eyes and let my mind drift off.

Kenshin’s POV

I awkwardly put the log on the fire and turned to face the Wolf. He had fallen asleep. I knelt down and shook his shoulder gently. There was no reaction. 

“Damn it Wolf, why couldn’t you just do what you were told?

TBC….


	8. Nightmare

Saito’s mind

Snow crunched beneath the paws of the pitch black wolf; blood dripping down to stain the snow. Torn battle flags, abandoned armor and rotting corpses surrounded him. He had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. A high pitched whine tore itself from the wolf’s throat as he heard the keening of the people come to claim their dead. He limped between two bodies, trying to find a way to escape the carnage. The wolf looked around as the people got closer and narrowly avoided the arrow that was aimed at his throat. 

“Leave you monster! Get away from here. Find your meal elsewhere you beast.” Yelled a woman who threw a rock at him as she fell to her knees next to a young man with a sword slash across his chest. He dodged the rock but fell onto his right side when his front legs collapsed beneath him. He let out another whine as he tried to get his paws beneath him again. The man who had shot at him came forward with another arrow notched. The man loosed the arrow, catching the wolf just beneath his ribs. 

He let out a bark of pain and managed to get his paws beneath him. He struggled to stand; churning the bright red snow under his paws. He bared his fangs at the man as the man approached him with a dagger in his hand. The man lunged forward; using his forearm to put pressure on his blood-matted neck. He twisted weakly to bite at the arm, but couldn’t get a good grip on the man’s arm. He snarled; he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The man raised his other arm above his head and then looked into the honey gold eyes of the wolf pinned beneath him. The golden eyes were wide with pain and something the man could only describe as fury. The pressure on his neck eased for a moment and he used the rest of his strength to twist his body around and bite the offending limb. His fangs sunk into the man’s arm; tearing apart skin, muscle and arteries. The man screamed in agony; dropping the dagger in the bloody snow. He bit down harder before releasing the arm when the man slammed his free fist into the arrow sticking out of his side. 

The man scrambled back as the wolf snarled weakly at him. The wolf struggled to stand and stumbled a few steps forward before his legs collapsed beneath him. Another man sat next to the wounded man, trying to stop the bleeding. The man picked up a piece of a banner pole and threw it at the dying wolf. The pole glanced off his left shoulder and fell into the bloody snow. The wolf closed his eyes and let out an unstable breath. He turned his head when he heard the crunch of snow nearby and opened his eyes slightly. The man that stood above him had bright red hair tied up in a warrior’s knot. The man knelt down slowly and placed his hand on the wolf’s head.

“Rest now Wolf. You’ve been through a lot. Sleep and come back to me when you are ready.” The man said stroking the blood-matted fur. The wolf turned his head, the man’s voice sounded so familiar. The man rubbed the wolf’s snout and received a small lick in return. The wolf closed his eyes and fell into darkness.

Kenshin’s POV  
I brushed Saito’s hair back and he let out a low groan. He was shifting in his sleep and I could see his eyes moving frantically behind his eyelids. I got up slowly to get more snow and flinched when I heard a high-pitched, agonized whine from Saito. I turned to see him clawing at his wounded side; tearing at the bandages. I limped back over and caught his left hand. He clutched my hand tightly and I winced at his strength. Saito’s breathing became fast and erratic; he was panicking. 

“Calm down Wolf, nobody is going to hurt you.” I said in a quiet voice, extracting my hand to rub his brow and down his nose. Saito let out another whine and he shifted under my hand. I ran my hand over his throat and he snarled at me; turning his head and snapping his bared teeth at me. I yanked my hand back just in time. “Easy Saito, I’m not going to hurt you.”

I cautiously put my hand over the wound on his side and checked to make sure that it wasn’t bleeding again. Thankfully, it wasn’t. When I looked up at Saito’s face, his eyes were open but unfocused. I put my hand on his brow again and rubbed down his nose slowly. He pushed up into the touch weakly.

“Rest now Wolf. You’ve been through a lot. Sleep and come back to me when you are ready.” I said watching his eyes close again. I rubbed his brow for a few more minutes before slowly closing my eyes as well.


	9. Acceptance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1 Okita Sōji died of tuberculosis on July 19, 1868. History tells us that he originally contracted it in 1864 either before or after the Ikedaya Affair. He is buried in Edo and his grave is only open to the public to pay their respects 1 day a year.  
> 2 Most people only last a few weeks to a year after contracting tuberculosis back in this time.

Kenshin’s POV

Saito shifting woke me. I studied him for awhile, noticing that he looked a lot younger when he was asleep. His entire body seemed more relaxed and I didn’t have to contend with his knowing stare. I stared at the fire, remembering his questions. Why had I saved his life back at the river? Why am I still trying to save him? I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my right arm around my legs. Saito opened his eyes slightly at my movement but I could tell that he was still unconscious. 

“You ask me why I saved you, yet you’ve saved me too Saito.” I whispered feeling the stitches tug when I stretch my legs back out. “We may be fighting on opposite sides of the war Saito but we both fight with everything we are. I think I saved you because, like you, I would rather die in battle with a respected foe than by any other means.”

I began to think back to all of the battles that we had fought over the last year alone. There had been many since the first time we had crossed blades. I close my eyes letting the memories flash by.

Flashback

We were standing no more than fifteen feet apart. Blood dripped from both of our swords, the blood of the men lying dead around us. I was bleeding from two deep cuts but so was Saito. Okita had fought side by side with him until his coughing1 had forced him to back away and let Saito fight against me on his own. Saito shifted his stance into the first form of the Gatotsu and I knew he would put all of his strength into this next blow, hoping it would be enough to kill me. I shift my stance to match and wait for the tell- tale tensing of muscle that will begin this dance of death. I don’t have to wait for long. Saito lunges forward, covering the distance with ease. Our swords clash once, twice, and then a flash of lightening brightens the sky. 

Saito’s eyes seem to glow with the energy that the lightening has released into the air. He lunges again and I feel the blade slicing into my left side before I swing my katana down; cutting his right calf from the knee down to his ankle. We break apart, both breathing heavily as the pain from our wounds set it. Saito bares his teeth and lets out a snarl of pain and anger as he attacks yet again. I step back and to the right as his blade pierces the air where I stood moments before.

“Too slow Wolf.” I said using my god-like speed to go airborne. My katana sliced down, the tip cutting through fabric and skin. Saito went down on his injured leg, aiming a swift kick at me as I landed. I easily dodged the kick and landed one of my own to his ribs. Saito’s katana slid from his grasp as he fell to the ground. He was still conscious, but barely. His golden eyes were glazed and his breathing weak. His blood began to pool beneath him, joining the blood of the dead. I kicked him onto his back and put my blade to his throat, making a small cut just below his jaw line. As I went to press the blade deeper, I heard the signal whistle I had been waiting for when the Shinsengumi had interrupted me. I pulled my blade away. “You’re lucky Wolf of Mibu. Next time we meet, it will end in your death.”

I walked away as the rain began to pour down on the body strewn street, leaving a rival to either survive and get stronger or die.

End Flashback

“There have been many times we should have died by each other’s blade Saito.” I mutter opening my eyes to stare at Saito, only to find myself staring into the wide open, lucid gold eyes of the Wolf of Mibu. I felt my face heat up and I let out an involuntary yelp of surprise.

Saito’s POV

I had been awake for only a moment when I heard the Battousai speaking. My head ached and felt like it was full of wool, but his words were becoming clearer. I didn’t dare to move, knowing that the Battousai would stop talking as soon as he sensed my movement. What he was saying made sense to me and I found myself silently agreeing with the Battousai, which surprised me. The Battousai opened his eyes and when he noticed that I was awake, he let out an amusing yelp. I couldn’t help but chuckle weakly at him.

“How are you feeling?” he asked his blush fading slowly. I licked my lips to wet them before answering.

“Sore. I feel like I’ve been dragged behind a team of horses over a rocky road.” I watched the Battousai get up slowly and walk to the snow cover entrance. He grabbed a handful of snow and brought it over to me. The snow was melting fast in his hands and I gratefully licked at the snow; knowing my teeth wouldn’t take the cold right now. Nearing the end of the handful, I accidentally licked his hand, which made us both blush like school girls. The image that came to mind made me chuckle again.

“What is so funny?” The Battousai asked going back to the snow wall and grabbing a handful for himself. He sat down beside me and took a mouthful of snow.

“We were trying to kill each other only a few days ago and now we’re taking care of each other like an old married couple. That combined with the fact that we’re dancing around each other like school children is hilarious to me.” I answered truthfully. I was still thinking about what the Battousai had said earlier as well. He raised an eyebrow and gave me a funny look.

“I think you still have a fever and are delusional.” He said putting his snow cooled hand on my forehead. I shivered at the cold. Just to see what he’d do, I leaned my head back quickly and licked his wrist before he could move. He jerked his hand away and his face went as bright red as his hair. “Now I’m positive you’re delusional.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed until my broken ribs protested. The Battousai shook his head. I could tell that he was smiling though and for some odd reason, it delighted me. 

“We should both get some rest. I think we’ll both be up to starting our journey to the next cave.” I said when I finally got my laughing under control. The Battousai nodded and laid down beside me. It didn’t take long before we were both asleep.


	10. Rage

Saito’s POV

Warmth against my right side woke me slowly. At first I thought that my wound was bleeding again and then I realized that the Battousai was pressed up against me. I opened my eyes and stared down at him, realizing that we had been like this for several hours now. I shifted my arm, which was wrapped around his shoulder; he opened his eyes just slightly. 

“Comfortable?” I asked quietly. The Battousai’s eyes widened but he didn’t pull away like I expected him to do. Instead he shifted his body closer to mine and sighed.

“You’re warm Saito and I was cold. It was survival instincts, nothing more.” He said closing his eyes again. “And yes, I am comfortable. Though I suppose you want to get up and see if you can walk so we can get out of this cave.”

“What do you mean if?” My eyes narrowed. “I’m perfectly capable of getting up and walking, you insolent brat.”

The Battousai froze next to me for an instant and I knew I had touched a nerve.

Kenshin’s POV

 

“What did you just call me?!” I growled sitting up slowly and turning to face Saito. He had an amused look on his face that really irritated me.

“Brat.” Saito replied pushing himself up with his elbows gradually. He stopped with a small grunt of pain when his ribs shifted. I glared at him and then stood up.

“I thought you said you could get up, old man.” I cocked my head to the right and stared at him for a moment with what I hoped was a thoughtful look on my face. “Or would that be old dog?”

Saito’s eyes flashed dangerously and he let out a low growl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I knew I should not have said it the instant it came out of my mouth. I backed away quickly, but not quick enough. Saito had me pressed against the cave wall within a heartbeat, his left hand clenched around my neck. I grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him off me, but he just tightened his grip. His eyes were no longer looked human; his eyes had gone feral. He growled at me again.

“Let me go Saito.” I gasped out, feeling his thumb putting pressure on my left carotid artery. He snarled at me and I knew that the human part of him couldn’t hear me, so I did the only thing I could think of, I brought my knee up into his groin. He let go of me with a groan of agony and knelt down, trying to relieve the pain. I slumped against the wall rubbing my throat gently. “I told you to let me go Saito.”

I closed my eyes and just listened to the sound of the two of us breathing for a few minutes before glancing down at Saito. I knew that beneath the calm exterior he held on to so tightly was an animalistic rage that could destroy him and me if he ever let go of his control. That small fit of temper he just displayed was enough of a reminder that I needed to keep my wits about me. I slid down the wall and waited for him to open his eyes, hoping that they were back to normal.

Saito’s POV

 

Blood red mist covered my eyes and everything seemed to slow to a crawl the moment the Battousai said those last two words. The dark, swirling rage that I was extremely careful to contain slipped free and I was on my feet and at his throat before I could take another breath. I felt him grab my wrist but it was nothing more than an annoyance. I tightened my grip around his slender throat, feeling the blood pulsing through the veins beneath my grip. It was an intoxicating feeling to have him where I finally wanted him; his life fading slowly in my grip.

At the back of my mind I heard his warning, but I was too far gone to let his words take effect. I pushed harder with my thumb, cutting off the supply of blood to his brain. I felt his body shift a second before his knee connected with my groin. I released him with a groan of pain and knelt down. The pain let me gain control of my rage again and I concentrated on the sound of the Battousai’s breathing to come back to myself. I opened my eyes when I heard him slide down the wall and looked at him. He was rubbing his neck where I had grabbed him and I could see the bruises starting to form already.

“You back Wolf of Mibu?” He asked his voice rough. I flinched at the way he phrased the question and he raised an eyebrow at that. “Or are you going to attack me again?”

“I give you my word, I won’t attack you again.” I said my own voice low with embarrassment and regret. I very rarely ever lost control of the rage inside me and to do so in front of my enemy was a blow to my pride. “I apologize for my actions, Battousai.”

I nearly laughed at the astounded look on his face. “I will deny that I ever said that if you ever bring it up again.”

Kenshin’s POV

 

Did he just –no he couldn’t have… He just apologized to me! I gaped at him and I could see amusement starting to seep into his gold eyes. I could tell that it took a lot for him to say it.

“Apology accepted.” I said getting back to my feet. “Do you want help up or can you get up on your own?”

Saito thought about it for a moment before hesitantly reaching up with his left hand. I gripped his hand tightly and slowly pulled him to his feet. He swayed slightly but stayed standing when I let go of his hand. I walked over to the medicine box and rummaged around in it.

“Only take what is necessary, the way through the caves is treacherous at the best of times.” Saito said emptying out a supply bag onto the cave floor to decide what would stay and what would come with us. I grabbed the last few rolls of bandages, what was left of the thread and the packet of needles and brought them over to Saito. I then grabbed an empty pan, filled it with snow and brought it over to the fire to melt.

“Is there a flask for water?” I asked when the snow was finally melted. Saito tossed one at my feet and I filled it with water. It only filled it half way so I started over to the wall of snow again. As I brushed snow from the wall into the pan I felt Saito moving towards me and I slid the small blade I had palmed earlier into my hand. I turned to see Saito standing about three feet behind me. “What do you want Saito?”

“Just some snow to wet my mouth with Battousai.” Saito answered with a wary look in his eyes. “I gave you my word Battousai, the blade is unnecessary.”

I turned back around and froze when his arm brushed mine. I could practically hear his smirk when he knocked snow from above me down onto my head. I shook the snow off but before I could say anything he was back by the supplies. We finished packing what we needed in silence. We each grabbed a burning branch and two more a piece that would make good torches. Saito kicked some of the snow that was on the floor onto the fire and we started for the back of the cave.


	11. Hunted in the Dark

Saito’s POV

 

I walked in front of the Battousai and checked the opening of the passageway for ice. The black rock was making it hard to tell, but I was sure there was no ice, so I took a step forward. The Battousai walked close behind me, practically on my heels.

“Scared of the dark?” I asked glancing over my shoulder at him. He glared at me but said nothing. “The ground is uneven and the rocks on the right side are razor sharp, so don’t fall.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” He snapped, stepping back without looking and slipping on a small patch of ice. The Battousai landed on his ass just inside the entrance and he dropped his torch, which went out. He looked up at my snort. “Don’t say a word.”

I offered him a hand and he stared at me suspiciously. I waited until he took my hand and I pulled him to his feet. I bared my teeth in pain as the tugging action pulled on my broken ribs and the Battousai let go of my hand quickly. I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him.

“I told you that I won’t hurt you Battousai.” I said starting down the path slowly. The torch light helped but the ground was rougher than I remembered so I put my left hand on the wall for balance. “Try to stay behind me. The path splits a few times further ahead. And don’t bother lighting another torch, there’s enough light from mine to see by.”

Kenshin’s POV

 

I watched Saito feel his was along the wall. It was obvious that it was going to be a long trip to the next cave if the path was this uneven. My arm and back were already aching from that slip on the ice and I could tell that Saito’s ribs were giving him trouble. I walked directly behind Saito, making sure to stay a few steps back so he didn’t complain. I glanced around; the shifting shadows were beginning to bother me. We walked along the path for almost an hour in silence; my whole body was aching from the unevenness of the ground.

“Saito, I need to stop.” I said resting my back against the wall. Saito stopped and looked over his shoulder at me; his gold eyes reflecting eerily in the torchlight. He made his way back to me and stood over me. “I’m sore and I can tell your ribs are bothering you.”

“There is a hot spring a little further ahead.” Saito said glancing in the direction we had been traveling. “It isn’t used much, but I’ve been told that the heat does wonders for sore muscles. Do you think you can walk for another ten minutes?”

I nodded and we started back down the treacherous path. We had only been walking for about five minutes when I smelled it; the smell of old blood and death. The muscles in my back began to tighten and I could see that Saito had smelled it too. He stood almost motionless ahead of me, reminding of a predator that had just sensed that prey was nearby.

Saito’s POV

 

The Battousai was right, my ribs were hurting badly. The hot springs had been in a few reports that I had read about the area and I could use a good soak to get the dried blood off anyway. I took the lead again and we hadn’t walked far when I began to smell blood. It was faint, barely there at all, but I could smell it. The further we walked though, the stronger the smell. I felt the Battousai tense behind me and then the smell of death hit me hard. I stopped and stood still; there was something else in the tunnels with us. I could feel it watching us. Could sense it stalking us silently through the darkness; a predator hunting its perceived prey.

“Where is it?” The Battousai asked quietly. I heard the sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath and turned slowly to look at him. He hadn’t drawn the sword completely from the sheath. I didn’t remember him having it when we started into the tunnels. The Battousai arched an eyebrow at me. “Forgot I had this, did you?”

“It’s watching us from beyond the torchlight.” I answered feeling the predator in me rise to the surface. Whatever was hiding in the darkness would find us harder to kill than it expected; even wounded, the Battousai and I were more than capable of handling ourselves. “It thinks that we are prey Battousai. It thinks that it will be able to handle the two of us without a problem.”

“But what is it?” The Battousai asked stepping within touching distance and hesitantly letting go of the hilt of the sword to hold out the small blade he had palmed earlier. I took it, accidentally brushing my fingers over the back of his hand. He pulled his hand away, but said nothing about it.

“An Ezo wolf, I think.” I said quietly. “We should keep going. It will not attack us here. There’s no room for it to maneuver. Move slowly and stay close.”

“I’ve never heard of an Ezo wolf this far south before.” The Battousai whispered keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword in case he had to draw it.

“Some idiot thought it would be a good idea to bring the Wolves a pair of actual wolves as a gift.” I murmured watching a lean, grey form padding silently next to us. I glanced back at the Battousai and noticed him watching as well. “Okita had them released. I wondered what happened to that idiot, Hayate Nakamura. Now I guess we know.”

The Battousai gave me a questioning look and I pointed to the bones lying against the wall about four feet ahead of me. The bones had been completely stripped of flesh. I noticed Nakamura’s sword and slowly crouched down to pick it up. As I stood, I noticed another skeleton.

“At least he didn’t die alone.” I muttered showing the Battousai the wolf skull next to Nakamura. I stepped around both skeletons and there was a low growl to my right. I saw a blur of grey lunging from the darkness and side stepped just as the wolf’s jaws snapped close where my right arm had just been. The wolf was quite large, but it was emaciated; I could count each of the wolf’s ribs.

Kenshin’s POV

 

I pulled my sword the instant the wolf jumped out of the shadows at us, but I didn’t have a chance to swing. The wolf snarled at Saito as he dodged out of the way of the wolf’s jaws. Saito stepped back and let out a hiss of pain as his heel connected with the razor sharp rocks that line the path. I drew my sword and slashed at the wolf’s exposed flank, but had to jump back because it turned faster than I thought it would.

“Stay back.” Saito snarled at me. “This is my fight.”

I noticed the feral look in Saito’s eyes again and took a step back down the path. Saito drew his sword, dropping the torch, and attacked the wolf. The wolf and the Wolf of Mibu seemed to dance in the flickering torchlight. Dodging, slashing, snapping; each trying to find the others weakness. Blood splashed the stone at my feet as Saito’s sword bit deep into the wolf’s right flank. The wolf let out a snarl of pain and sunk it’s fangs into Saito’s left calf. The froze, neither wanting to give up the ground they had gained. I shifted my weight slightly, drawing the wolf’s attention for only a moment. But that moment was all the time Saito needed. He reversed his grip on his sword and drove it through the wolf’s body. The wolf released Saito’s calf and dropped to the ground. Saito’s sword had pierced its heart and had killed it instantly. Saito took a step back, leaving the sword buried in the wolf’s body. 

“How deep are your wounds?” I asked drawing his gaze back to me. His eyes still looked a little wild, but he was starting to calm down again. I picked up the torch and moved closer to Saito so he could inspect his wounds.

“It isn’t very deep. We should get to the hot spring to wash it out though.” Saito answered bending over slowly to check the bite mark. There was a small blood pool forming around his foot. Saito pulled his sword out of the wolf and used the edge of his sleeve to wipe off the blood. I reached into the small pack for some bandages but Saito shook his head. “We should just wait until it’s clean instead of wasting bandages.”

“How much further?” I asked putting the bandages back. Saito pointed to a branch in the trail about fifteen feet ahead of us. “Do you want me to go first?”

“If you wish. The springs should be on the left about thirty feet down the trail.” Saito said wincing as he straightened. I nodded and walked around the wolf’s body carefully. I stepped off the main path and down the side trail; Saito following close behind me. About ten feet down the path, I found another patch of black ice. I slipped backwards and fell into Saito; who was following closer than I originally thought. We went down hard in a tangle of arms, legs and sword sheaths. Luckily the torch didn’t go out when it fell to the ground.

“Get….off…” Saito wheezed, his mouth right next to my right ear and his left arm cradling my broken one. I turned almost as red as my hair at the sensation of his breath on my ear and his body pressed closely against mine. I tried to stand up and slipped on the ice again, landing on Saito’s lap. Saito sighed and wrapped his left arm around my waist. I squirmed, trying to get him to let go. “Stop moving. I’m trying to help you up.”

Saito shifted to his knees and kept me held close to him. I got my feet beneath me and Saito let me go before climbing back to his feet. I picked up the torch and turned away from him before he could see how flushed I was at the incident. I continued down the trail, making sure that I watched for ice. I felt the heat of the hot spring before I saw it. Saito reached around me to grab the torch, his arm brushing against my shoulder. I gave him the torch and let him lead. Saito checked all of the crevices around the medium sized pool and settled the torch into a crack in a large boulder.

“It’s safe. There is an area behind that boulder if you want to strip down for the spring.” Saito said pointing at a nearby boulder before disappearing behind another boulder. I walked cautiously behind the boulder, not wanting to slip again.


	12. Hot Springs and Chilling Conversations

Saito’s POV

 

I stepped behind the nearest boulder, slowly peeling off my bloody clothes and bandages. The bandage pulled at the stitches, but it came off easily. I probed the stitches on my side gently and ran a hand over the dark, blue-black bruises that stained my chest like an ink spill. I picked up my clothes and put them in a pile near the hot spring so I could wash the blood out of them. I untied the leather thong holding my hair back and ran my fingers through my hair. 

The steam from the hot spring curled around me as I slid into the water and found a ledge to sit on near my clothes. I slipped deeper into the water to wet my hair and when I came up for air, the Battousai stood above me.

“Trying to drown yourself Wolf?” He asked holding his clothes in front of himself in an attempt for modesty. I settled back onto the ledge and stared up at him; smirking as he blushed. I wiped the stray hairs out of my face and gestured to the ledge I was sitting on.

“Just getting comfortable, Battousai. Are you going to stand there and stare or are you going to join me?” I asked shifting to the right to give the Battousai space to sit down. He set his clothes down and stepped down onto the ledge before sitting down next to me. The Battousai tried to get comfortable keeping his arm out of the water, but I could see the tension rising in his shoulders. “We can dry the sling out later, Battousai. Soak your arm in the water.”

“I’m fine.” The Battousai muttered, stubbornly tensing his shoulders even more to make sure his arm stayed out of the water. I rolled my eyes and put my left hand on the back of his neck; pushing slightly on the tense muscles. The Battousai flinched slightly. “I said I’m fine Wolf.”

Kenshin’s POV

 

“Obviously you’re not Battousai.” Saito said rubbing the back of my neck with a little more pressure. I felt the muscles slowly relaxing under Saito’s hand and I allowed my arm to sink into the water. The heat felt wonderful but Saito’s hand felt strange against my skin. His hand was large and rough from calluses. His thumb brushed over the edge of the bruise he had left on my neck and I shuddered at the sensation. Saito’s hand stilled on the back of my neck for a moment before continuing to rub the tension out of my muscles. I felt Saito’s hand move upwards and he tugged on my hair a few times.

“What are you doing Wolf?” I asked opening my eyes, not realizing I had closed them. It was strange how relaxed we were becoming around each other, when only a few days ago, we were trying to kill each other.

“Nothing.” Saito answered before my hair tumbled down around my shoulders. I watched Saito toss the leather thong, which had been holding my hair back, onto my pile of clothes. I turned to stare at him, looking over all of his visible injuries. Saito noticed. “I’m fine Battousai.”

I arched an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes. Saito let go of my neck and leaned back against the edge of the hot spring. He closed his eyes and slid back underwater. I shook my head and tugged on some of his hair as it floated close to me. I was just getting comfortable when I felt him wrap one hand around my ankle and one on around my right wrist. Before I could do anything, he pulled me underwater; somehow making sure my left arm wasn’t jostled. Saito let me go and I surfaced, coughing up water. Saito stayed underwater a minute longer before coming up beside me.

“What in the hell is wrong with you?!?” I snarled pushing hair out of my face, effectively tangling it in a knot.

“You had blood in your hair.” Saito said with a slight smirk. He leaned back against the edge again and rubbed a long scar that ran from his right shoulder to the center of his chest; it was beginning to whiten along the edges. I hadn’t realized just how many scars that Saito had until then. He hissed when his fingers brushed over the bruised skin of his broken ribs.

I glanced down at the stitching that Saito had done for the arrow wound and then over my other injuries. I glanced back at Saito, taking in all of his injuries. We had done all of this damage to each other in such a short period of time and the war wasn’t going to end anytime soon from what I could tell. I sighed and closed my eyes.

“What is on your mind now, Battousai?” Saito asked quietly. I opened my eyes and stared at the wall on the far side of the hot spring. 

“I was just thinking about….” I started, not knowing how to voice all of the feelings welling up inside of me. Saito didn’t push; he just sat there waiting for me to keep talking. “I was just thinking about the odds of us both surviving this war. I mean, look at how much damage we’ve done to each other in just a few days. What are the odds that we’ll survive to see the changes that will have occurred because of this war?”

Saito’s POV

 

I watched the Battousai as he told me what was bothering him and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I had thought about this the last few months, ever since Okita’s cough had become much worse. I knew that Okita would not make it much longer, but I never thought that he would die from anything but the sword. I never thought about surviving the war because I knew there were stronger swordsmen out there and I didn’t worry because there was no one waiting for me at home. 

“The odds are probably not in our favor.” I answered running my fingers down a scar on my right arm. “I always assumed that I would die on the battle field, either alone or beside my brothers.”

I turned to look at the Battousai and saw him staring down at the water, his eyes distant. I flicked some water at him to bring him back to the present, earning a glare when he flinched. I slowly rotated my shoulders back and forth to stretch my muscles and let out a small sigh the muscles relaxed themselves even further. The Battousai leaned back against the edge of the hot spring and closed his eyes. He was silent for a few minutes before opening his eyes to stare at me again.

“Have you ever thought about having a family if you survive the war?” The Battousai asked tilting his head slightly to the right. “Or what they would think of everything that you’ve done in this war?”

“Why the sudden interest in my life, Battousai?” I answered dragging my clothes down from the ledge and into the water. The water turned pink as the dried blood began to dissolve and I rubbed at a particularly thick patch of blood. Instead of answering, the Battousai just stared at me. I let out another sigh and let my clothes float in front of me. “The answer to both questions is no. I haven’t thought about having a family and I don’t care what they would think of what I have done in this war because they would never understand what it has been like to live through a war. What it is like to see men you have fought with fall in battle or understand what it means to take a life. Does that answer your question, Battousai?”

The Battousai nodded and carefully reached back to grab his own clothes. We sat in silence for almost thirty minutes before I decided to bring the Battousai back to the present again. I reached over and tugged on some of his hair. When he didn’t respond, I tugged harder, making him glare at me.

“Stop that! I swear you are three years old!” The Battousai snapped at me, pulling on the hair I had in my grasp. I refused to let it go and got a face full of water. I let go of his hair and splashed him right back, effectively starting a splashing war. We went at it for a few minutes before we were both laughing like maniacs. The laughter hurt my ribs, but I could feel my whole body relaxing a little more. The Battousai wiped a few tears away from his eyes and leaned his head back. “We should probably get out of the water and dry off soon.”

“I think I saw some firewood by the pathway.” I said standing up slowly, quite aware that the Battousai was staring at me. I draped my clothes over the nearest rocks to dry out and walked to the edge of the torchlight. There was a small pile of firewood and when I picked it up, I found another supply box. It had a few more bandages in it, but that was it. I brought the firewood and box back to the driest spot near the hot spring. I sat facing him. “Are you going to join me or stay in the water?”

The Battousai turned bright red again as he got out of the hot spring and hung up his wet clothes as well. He grabbed the torch and brought it over so I could light the fire with it. He stayed standing until the fire was lit and returned the torch to where he had taken it from. He sat across from me and when he glanced at me again, his blush returned.

“I didn’t think you were this shy Battousai.” I said with a smirk. His blush deepened and he flicked a small pebble he had found at me. It hit my right shin and bounced into the fire. I took the bandages out of the box I found and tossed the Battousai some of them. “I found some more bandages. We might as well use them.”

The Battousai set the bandages off to the side and tried to get his arm out of the sling. He winced as he shifted his arm wrong and I sighed; I knew he wouldn’t ask for help. I stood up and walked over to him. He glared at me.

“I can manage on my own.” The Battousai said through clenched teeth. The blush had vanished, leaving his skin pale with pain. I rolled my eyes at him and leaned over to untie the knot that held the sling together.

“I’m sure you can.” I said in the same tone I’d been using with Okita lately. I hung the sling up next to his clothes and, just to bother him, sat right beside the Battousai. The blush started to creep back up the Battousai’s neck and as I went to tease him about it, I yawned. The Battousai snorted and shook his head. 

“Let’s get some rest before we re-bandage our wounds and continue to the next cave.” The Battousai said lying down as close to the fire as he could without being burned. I nodded and lay down as well. It wasn’t long before sleep claimed both of us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A historical note about Okita Sōji – Okita was diagnosed with Tuberculosis after the Ikedaya Affair in 1864. Back then, people diagnosed with Tuberculosis usually died within days or weeks. After the Battle of Toba Fushimi (January 27, 1868), Okita moved to the Matsumoto Ryōjun hospital and stayed in a guest house. He did not live to see the Meiji Era. He passed away on July 19, 1868. He was buried at the Sensō-ji Temple in Tokyo, where his tomb is only opened for the public one day a year. He died at the age of either 22 or 24. (The year of his birth is not clear.)


	13. Two Embarassed Samurai

Kenshin’s POV

 

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Saito’s face about three inches from mine. He had turned on his side sometime while we were sleeping and his left hand was clutching some of my hair. I smiled. Saito looked almost peaceful when he was asleep. I touched his left hand gently, trying to get him to release my hair. The gentle touch had just the opposite effect; he tightened his grip and moved his hand closer to his body. I let out a small hiss, moving closer to him to relieve the pressure on my scalp. I blushed when I realized just how close our faces were. We were barely an inch apart.

Saito murmured something in his sleep and moved closer; rubbing his nose against mine softly. Before I could move, Saito’s lips brushed against mine. I jerked back with a yelp. Saito’s eyes flew open and he sat up quickly; hissing in pain and unwittingly pulling my hair hard. 

“Ow! LET GO!” I snapped slapping his hand. He let go of my hair hastily, his cheeks turning almost as red as my hair. I sat up and held my broken arm close to me, glaring at Saito.

“What the hell were you doing?!” Saito snarled back at me, holding onto his ribs while sitting up straighter. I could see the rage building up behind his eyes again. 

“What was I doing? I was sleeping when you started pulling my hair.” I basically growled. “Then, I open my eyes, you are practically on top of me. I was about to move when you kissed me!”

Saito’s blush became even darker and he lowered his eyes to the ground; clearly embarrassed. He turned his head and stared at what was left of the fire. I stood up and grabbed the sling, which had dried out while we slept. I grabbed the bandages and threw them at Saito.

“Let’s re-bandage our wounds, get dressed and get going.” I said after sitting back down near Saito. He nodded, still avoiding eye contact.

Saito’s POV 

 

I stood up slowly and went to grab my clothes. They were still a little damp, but at least the blood was washed out of them. I picked up the bandages and wrapped them around my chest and then around the puncture wounds on my calf. My face was beginning to cool down, but I was still a bit embarrassed. I glanced over at the Battousai; he was trying to bandage his chest and failing miserably. I reached over and took the free end of the bandage; wrapping it around his back.

“I don’t know what to tell you Battousai.” I said quietly as he lifted his arm so I could finish tying off the bandage. I still couldn’t look him in the eye as I spoke. “The…..kiss….was not intentional.”

The Battousai arched an eyebrow at me and shrugged his good shoulder slightly. We pulled our clothes on and the Battousai wrapped his arm in his sling; handing me the ends to tie around his neck. I ran my fingers through my hair to get as many of the knots out of it that I could and pulled my hair up into a top knot. The Battousai ran his fingers through his hair and without looking at me, handed me the leather tie for his hair. I tugged his hair into a top knot and backed away from him. 

“We should eat a little before we start for the next cave.” I said taking what was left of the hard tack out and handing half of it to the Battousai. I took a bite and made a small face at how stale it had become. The Battousai made a face after his first bite was well. We finished the little hard tack that was left in a few minutes.

“Do you think there will be any more supplies in the next cave?” He asked starting one of the torches before scattering the remains of the fire. I relit the torch that we had been using and grabbed the supply sack. I started back along the path to the main path; avoiding the patch of ice the Battousai had slipped on earlier. The Battousai followed close behind me.

“There might be some supplies, but I doubt it.” I answered glancing behind me to see the Battousai stepping very carefully across the patch of ice. “We were lucky to find the supplies we found by the springs and at the first cave.”

Kenshin’s POV

 

I carefully stepped across the patch of ice, rolling my eyes when I noticed Saito glancing back at me. I rotated my left shoulder slowly to try to work some of the stiffness out of it and watched the path closely. The path was becoming even rougher than before. The torchlight started to reflect off the walls on the right side, distracting me a little. 

“Battousai watch your…” Saito started to say before I stepped into a deep divot in the path. I fell forward, right into Saito, who had turned to warn me about the divot. Saito’s heel caught another small divot and we went down hard. We both cried out in pain as my shoulder dug into his ribs and my left arm was crushed between us. I dropped the torch and it rolled out of reach onto the razor sharp rocks on the right side of the path. Saito’s torch had luckily been dropped above his head and out of the way. 

When I was able to catch my breath, I sat up slowly; trying not to put any more pressure on Saito’s ribs. Saito groaned and stared at me through hazy eyes. That’s when I noticed the blood pooling beneath his head. 

“Shit! Don’t move Saito.” I said leaning over him and sliding my hand down his cheek to the back of his head. I could feel a gash through his hair and it was bleeding badly. Saito made a quiet noise and I pulled back to look at him. He had a light blush on his face again and then I realized the position we were in. I was straddling his waist and our faces were inches apart again. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and took my hand away from his wound. “We need to get that bandaged. Do you think you can sit up?”

“Get off me and we’ll see.” Saito mumbled tapping my right knee. I stood up and Saito eased himself into a sitting position. He touched the back of his head and let out a hiss. I took the supply sack and took the last of the bandages out. Saito held out his left hand and he started to bandage his head. He looked up at me when he finished. “You are not this clumsy in battle, so why are you this clumsy walking on a path? And how do you always manage to fall on top of me?”

“I…uh…..” I stammered turning red again. Saito let out a small huff and used the cave wall to climb to his feet. Saito motioned to my arm and I let him check on it. I winced as he put pressure right on the break but held still. “I don’t think it’s any worse than before. Are you sure that you’re alright?”

“A little dizzy, but I’m fine. We should keep going.” Saito answered bending down to pick up the torch. “The next cave is about fifty feet from here and hopefully we’ll be able to get out of these caves.”

I nodded and we continued forward. I made sure to watch where I was going, but I couldn’t help but think about the last few minutes. We were defiantly going to have to talk about it when we stopped at the next cave.


	14. Talks, Freedom and Bloodshed

Saito’s POV

 

How on Earth could the Battousai be so clumsy outside of battle? My head and ribs ached horribly and I know his arm was hurting him. I glanced back at him and sighed. He was watching where he was going but he was obviously preoccupied. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and nearly missed the entrance to the second cave, or what was left of it. The entrance had caved in since the last time the tunnels had been used. 

“What’s wrong Wolf?” The Battousai asked peering around me to see why we had stopped. 

“This is the second cave.” I answered gesturing to the pile of rocks to my left. I found a larger rock and sat down on it carefully; feeling it shift beneath my weight and then settle into a firmer position. I wedged the torch between two of the rocks above me. “We should rest here and then continue on to the next cave.”

The Battousai sat to my left and pulled out the flask of water; taking a sip before handing it to me. I shook it, it was getting low. I took a sip and handed it back; turning to look at the Battousai. I nearly jumped when I realized how close we were again. A smirk crossed his face for a moment before he became serious.

“We need to talk about what happened at the hot spring and just now Wolf.” He said reaching up to rub his left shoulder. I reached over and brushed his fingers aside before massaging the tense muscles. His body relaxed for a moment before he tensed again. I released his shoulder and sat back. “This is what we need to talk about Wolf. We’ve been almost too comfortable with each other since we got snowed in and I want to know how we’re going to act after we get out of here.”

“I think we will go our separate ways when we finally get out of these caves and when we next meet in battle, we will fight as we always have. Because I can no more abandon my beliefs than you can yours Battousai.” I answered leaning back and closing my eyes. My head was really starting to ache. 

Kenshin’s POV 

 

I stared at the opposite wall of the tunnel and thought about what Saito had said. It made sense. Both of us would fight until the very end of this war or until we were dead because neither of us would give up what we believed in. I sighed and glanced at Saito. 

“You’re right.” I said quietly; trying to find a way to phrase the next part of our problem without making me uncomfortable and Saito angry. After a few minutes of thinking about it, I just decided to be blunt. “We need to talk about the kiss and….and what just happened, Saito.” 

“I told you the kiss was unintentional Battousai.” Saito said shifting slightly to get comfortable before turning to look at me. “As for what just happened, you fell on me Battousai. The position we ended up in was perfectly natural for the way we fell as you were the one on top of me and are smaller than I am.” 

My eyes narrowed at his height comment and I elbowed his arm lightly, getting a mock glare in return. I rotated my left shoulder until it cracked and let out a grateful groan. The muscles loosened slightly as I continued to rotate it slowly. I stood up and stretched. “We should get moving Saito.”

I reached up and grabbed the torch; handing it to Saito after he stood slowly to make sure his balance was alright. Blood had soaked through the bandage around his head, but there was nothing we could do about it. I walked close to Saito to stay in the torchlight. 

“If I remember correctly, the next cave is about an hour walk from the second cave. We should be out of here soon.” Saito said glancing back at me with a small smile. “That is, if you don’t manage to injure yourself or me again Battousai.”

I glared at him but decided not to give him the satisfaction of an answer. We walked in silence for the better part of forty minutes; both of us checking watching the ground carefully so neither of us fell. The torchlight was wreaking havoc with both of our eyes. Saito paused at a split in the trail and looked around.

“Please tell me that we’re not lost.” I said leaning against the tunnel wall as Saito glance back and forth between the trails. When Saito didn’t answer I almost snarled at him. “We’re lost aren’t we?”

“I don’t remember this trail splitting between the second and third caves.” Saito answered looking back the way we came. “It splits between the third and fourth cave. We must have missed the third cave. We’ll simply go back and look for it.” 

“Why don’t we simply go through the forth cave?” I asked following Saito as he headed back down the trail. He turned back and looked at me.

“Because the forth cave is guarded and the third cave is not.” Saito explained keeping the torch close to the cave wall. About twenty yards back down the trail the torch illuminated a dark crevasse and Saito stuck the torch into it. “It gets narrow through here, but this is the entrance to the third cave Battousai.”

I nodded and watched Saito slip into the crevasse sideways, ducking his head as he went. I followed closely so the I could see where I was going; though I didn’t have to duck my head, which I grinned at.

Saito’s POV

 

I glanced around the cave to make sure that nobody was using it and let out a quiet sigh of relief when I saw the cave entrance wasn’t blocked with snow. I set the torch into a small crevasse in the wall and looked around to see if there was a supply box. Surprisingly, there was a small box sitting on a nature made shelf on the right side of the cave. I went over and opened it. Empty. The Battousai slipped into the cave and looked around; the relief on his face when he saw the entrance probably matched my own.

“Well Battousai, the supply box is empty, but it isn’t far from the nearest village.” I said watching as he set the supply bag on the floor and sorted through it. There wasn’t much left, just the needle, thread and the mostly empty flask of water. “You take what’s left Battousai. The Shinsengumi aren’t far from here. They’ll take care of me.”

“If you’re sure, then I will.” The Battousai said repacking the bag. He looked up at me and stared. “We should check each other’s injuries before we leave.”

I nodded and reached over to check his arm and then shifted his obi to check the bandages around his waist. I tightened the bandage around my head and waved his hands away when he went to check my other injuries. When we were done we headed to the entrance of the cave. At the entrance I pointed to the right.

“The nearest village is a few miles in that direction. If you stay close to the tree line, you can’t miss it.” I said glancing around for any sentries hidden in the trees. I didn’t see any and gave the Battousai a slight bow before heading in the opposite direction. “Until we meet again, Battousai.”  
“  
Until we meet again, Saito.” The Battousai said disappearing into the trees.

One month later during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi*. (January 27, 1868 – January 31, 1868) Day 4 of 5  
Osaka Castle

Saito’s POV

 

The peace of the beautiful country side shattered by the sound of gunshots, sword clashes and screams, the smell of smoke hanging heavy in the air and the ground soaked with blood. I walked though the bloody field as quietly as I could; the wounded had already been taken back to Osaka Castle to be treated or die. When I reached the middle of the field I saw a flash of red hair racing along the tree line and I ran to catch up with him. There was nothing in that direction but wounded men. I entered the next clearing and saw him waiting for me.

We didn’t say a word. He settled into his beginning stance and I drew my sword. I moved first, lunging at him to see how his injuries were fairing. He blocked my first thrust and the battle commence in earnest.

Kenshin’s POV

 

I dodged away from a slash that would have taken off my head and aimed at the calf I knew had been injured if the caves. Saito blocked and pushed me backwards with a flurry of thrusts. Our battle had been raging on for several minutes when I noticed movement from the tree line. Saito noticed it as well and we both jumped backwards. Just in time too. Gunshots echoed though the clearing and grass and dirt was tossed into the air where we both had been standing.

“Morons!” Saito snarled giving me a glance before running for the cover of the trees. I headed in the opposite direction, ducking behind a tree as the gunshots followed me. I laughed quietly as Saito laid into them. “I’m with the Shinsengumi you morons! Can’t you see the kimono?”

I waited until I couldn’t hear them anymore and set out in the direction of my own troops. Hoping the battle ended soon and I would finally be freed from all this bloodshed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The Battle of Toba-Fushimi was the last major battle in the Bakumatsu War. (Edo Period) The battle lasted from January 27, 1868 to January 31, 1868 and was a decisive Imperial (Kenshin’s side) victory. It was set in the area between Osaka and Kyoto on both Toba and Fushimi roads.   
> *And as for the gunshots in my story, (historically) the Satsuma-Chōshū forces were armed with Howitzers, Miniè rifles, and a single Gatling gun.


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler for Episode 30

Ten years later….

 

Kenshin walked into the dojo behind Kaoru and stared at the kneeling man’s back in shock. He flexed his hands slightly within the sleeves of his kimono and waited.

“You had a hard time with Akamatsu. You’ve grown much weaker than I expected. The last time we fought was, I believe, Toba-Fushimi wasn’t it? It’s been ten years.” Saito said remaining kneeling. 

Kenshin’s POV

 

I couldn’t believe Saito was sitting in front of me. His hair was cut short in the Western fashion and he was in a police uniform, but it was undoubtedly him. I knew the moment I saw him that he had been the one to hurt Sanosuke and his words needled me. 

“You’re no longer the man I once acknowledged as a true warrior, Hajime Saito, Leader of the Third Squad of the Shinsengumi.” I said barely noticing Kaoru and Yahiko’s reactions to this news. Saito stood and turned, his eyes flashing in the dying light.

“I was afraid your sword had become rusty, but I didn’t think that your brain had become rusty as well. Akamatsu was a dog? A weakling like him couldn’t even begin to fulfill the role of a dog. We of the Shinsengumi knew the strength of Battousai the manslayer better than anyone else.” Saito said his voice low and even. “Being a wanderer that doesn’t kill has obviously made you weaker Battousai.”

“As long as I have the strength of a wanderer to protect the people in my life then that’s as good enough for me.” I said staring Saito down. “I no longer need the strength of a manslayer, of a murderer, that I do not.”

Saito’s POV 

 

I walked over to the entrance of the dojo, looking over the Battousai yet again. The last ten years had been kind to him. I could still sense the hidden strength that his small frame didn’t show. I unbuttoned my jacket slowly.

“If that’s the case, then even as the wanderer you are now, you’re a failure. While your hands were full fighting Akamatsu, I was here the whole time. On top of that, your ignorant friends let their guards down simply because I happen to be a police officer.” I said unsheathing my sword slowly and lowering the sheath to the ground. “In other words, if I wanted to kill them, I could have done so at any time. But it wasn’t just this time. When you fought Jin-e and again with Kanryū. You allowed the people in your life to fall into your enemy’s hands. And even more pathetic, you allowed a complete fool like Raijūta to wound you in battle. Mediocre strength is as good as nothing. And the words of a hypocrite are empty words that disgust me.”

I ignored the boy and woman’s reactions to the news that I had been the one to hurt the Fighter for Hire and watched the Battousai. I could tell that he was showing a calm exterior to his friends but inside, he was slowly returning to the Battousai I knew from Kyoto.

“Drowning yourself in this false sense of justice. A wanderer that doesn’t kill. How does Battousai the manslayer protect people without slaying others? Have you forgotten? Aku Soku Zan.” I said feeling the lust for battle rising in my blood. “Slay Evil Immediately. That was the one truth about justice that we had in common. It’s unbearable for me to see you standing there as the man that you have become.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say to me. I have no intention of ever taking the life of another person again.” The Battousai said his voice firm, but I could see his eyes were flashing.

“I see.” I said settling into the Gatotsu stance. “Then I shall deny you your entire false existence.”

Regular POV

 

Kenshin pulled away from Kaoru and walked to the side of the dojo; Saito mirroring his movements. Saito settled into the Gatotsu stance again and they waited. Watching each other for the miniscule tell- tale muscle movement that would signal the beginning of battle. The sun set behind the clouds, darkening the dojo and setting the battle in motion. 

Saito’s eyes widened for a moment before he lunged forward and Kenshin jumped to avoid the thrust. Saito crushed part of the wall and used the momentum to thrust upwards, catching Kenshin’s right side. Kenshin coughed up a small amount of blood. Saito swept his blade sideways, pulling the blade from Kenshin’s side and kicked him across the dojo. The sounds of Kaoru and Yahiko’s voices fading into nothing for both men.

Saito flicked Kenshin’s blood from his blade and readied himself for another Gatotsu. Kenshin’s stared up at Saito, his breathing harsh. Saito lunged forward and Kenshin drew his sword, blocking the Gatotsu and the following slash; only to have Saito drive his shoulder into his wounded side. Kenshin hit the wall and slid down it; leaving blood smears on the wall. Kenshin glared up at Saito, his mind no longer in Tokyo, but in the bloodstained streets of Kyoto. His breath came in harsh pants, willing his body to stand. 

“Stand up.” Saito said his sword ready. Kenshin’s view was suddenly blocked by a woman he had no recollection of. Saito glared at Kaoru. “You’re in the way.”

Kenshin stood and gently pushed the woman out of his way. He walked forward holding his bloody side, watching Saito wait for him. Kenshin darts forward, ducking low to avoid Saito’s sword and attempting to attack him from behind. Saito glances back and kicks him hard in the upper chest. Kenshin lets out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a groan; feeling the leather thong in his hair snap. Saito stared at him, trying to figure out where that burst of speed had come from. Kenshin’s held his side and tried to steady his breathing; he needed to find his strength or he was dead. He closed his eyes and soon his breathing steadied. He stood and walked forward, ready to kill the enemy in front of him.

“Now I’ll attack with my true Gatotsu. No more holding back.” Saito said holding his blade much higher than before. He shouted and lunged forward; his blade in line with the center of Kenshin’s forehead. Kenshin dodged to the right and Saito’s blade followed. Kenshin crouched down and spun, drawing his sword and smashing the reversed-edge blade into the back of Saito’s skull; sending him straight through the wall.

“Stand up. It would be a poor ending to our first duel in ten years otherwise.” Kenshin said staring at the hole in the wall. Saito’s hand appeared on a jagged edge of wood and he pushed himself up.

“The end? This wasn’t my plan, but it doesn’t matter.” Saito said walking back onto the dojo’s floor. His forehead bruised and blood dripping down his face. “I’ll kill you now.”

“I think you got it wrong, those are my words.” Kenshin said sheathing his sword and readying himself for the next attack. Saito shifted into the Gatotsu stance and lunged forward with a yell. Kenshin blocked the attack and the battle commenced in earnest. 

Their blades met and disengaged over and over; sending sparks into the air. They dodged around each other and Kenshin flipped over Saito’s blade several times. Kenshin pushed off the ceiling and then the wall to gain speed and Saito put all of his strength into the next slash. Kenshin used the wall again and met Saito in the middle of the dojo. Their swords met and they both refused to move. Saito pressed his gloved hand against his blade and used his strength to push Kenshin back across the floor and into the wall. Kenshin shifted away from his own swords edge and used the space to kick Saito hard in the jaw. He flipped over him and landed in the middle of the dojo, sheathing his sword. Saito turned and spit out a bloody tooth. 

Saito lunged forward with another thrust, which Kenshin blocked. Saito felt when his sword shattered and didn’t bother to glance at where the top four inches of his sword had landed. Kenshin held up his sword and stared at Saito.

“It’ll be your turn next and it’ll be your head.” He said with a small snarl on his face. Saito simply settled into the Gatotsu stance. “You Shinsengumi guys never did know when it was in the best interest for you to retreat.”

“The first rule of the Shinsengumi is to always follow the ways of the samurai. And fleeing an enemy in front of you isn’t an option!” Saito yelled lunging forward in the start of the Gatotsu and then throwing his sword at Kenshin, who blocked the sword with his left hand. Saito continued forward, snarling.

‘And you choose pride over life as a Samurai should.’ Kenshin thought raising his sword for a killing blow. Saito’s snarl turned into a smirk as Kenshin’s eyes widened slightly as his belt connected with Kenshin’s sword hand. Kenshin’s sword flew out of his hand and before he could do anything, Saito landed four hard punches to his chest; knocking the air out of him and stunning him momentarily. 

Saito slipped out of his jacket and wrapped it around Kenshin’s neck as Kenshin got his breath back. He gripped the edges and pulled; hauling Kenshin into the air. He leaned back slightly to gain more leverage and pulled harder, trying to snap Kenshin’s neck. Kenshin had managed to get both his hands under the jacket, but Saito had tightened the noose far too much for his struggles to be much use. Kenshin pulled his left hand away and pushed his sheath back and up with all of his strength, connecting with the underside of Saito’s chin. Saito released the jacket with groan and Kenshin fell to the floor, landing on his feet just enough to jump forward, out of Saito’s reach. He tore the jacket off his neck as Saito fell to his knees.

They stayed kneeling on the floor for a minute, both trying to summon the strength to keep fighting. Saito prodded a few loose teeth with his tongue and watched Kenshin rub the rapidly forming bruises around his neck. They both stood, having gathered everything left in their bodies for one final clash.

“I think it’s time we put an end to this.” Saito said cracking all of his knuckles and staring at Kenshin.

“I agree.” Kenshin said pulling his sheath and gripping it until it shook. Kenshin took a step forward and lunged forward with a yell. Saito matched him step for step. Both of them intent on finally finishing the battles that had started over a decade ago. Two steps until the deciding blow. One step…

“STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!” Yelled a voice from out of nowhere. Saito and Kenshin stopped and turned towards the door. Both still in position to deliver the final blow. “Get a hold of yourself Saito. The mission you accepted from of office was only to determine the Battousai’s competency.”

“We’re in the middle of something here.” Saito said straightening up. “I won’t allow even you, the police commissioner, to interrupt us.”

“Mr. Saito, I know you have your pride as a member of the Shinsengumi, but I don’t want you or Himura to waste your lives needlessly here.” Said an older gentleman walking through the dojo’s door. 

“I see. The true mastermind behind all of this was you. An old Imperialist from the Satsuma area.” Kenshin said watching the men at the door. “The Meiji Secretary of the Interior. Toshimichi Ōkubo.” 

“I truly am sorry that we had to be so rough on you but it was important to determine just how effective you still were after all these years.” Ōkubo said looking directly at Kenshin. “You will stay and hear me out, won’t you?”

“I will. Why don’t you start now?” Kenshin said roughly. Saito tilted his head slightly, hearing rustling outside the dojo’s window. The noise was confirmed when he heard Akamatsu rambling to himself. He leaned down and picked up his jacket, heading for the door.

“It looks like our final duel has been pre-empted. We’ll have to settle out score another day.” Saito said glancing back at Kenshin, even though the eye movement made his head throb.

“Your life’s been spared for now.” Kenshin replied watching Saito closely, the wound in his side starting to make itself known again.

“And so has yours.” Saito said walking over to the doorway and answering his superior’s question. He walked out the gate and into the night to finish a few loose ends. Inside the dojo, Kenshin forced himself to back away from the manslayer that had once again taken a hold of his body and allowed Megumi to bandage his wounds before listening to what Ōkubo had to tell him. After Ōkubo and the police commissioner left, everyone went to their rooms to recover from the day. 

Kenshin fell asleep almost instantly, but his dreams were again of the bloody streets of Kyoto. He was standing on the bridge that had collapsed beneath he and Saito all those years ago and Saito was standing with him. They looked over the river in silence for a time and then Saito spoke, but it sounded as if he were far away.

‘Some things never change. A wolf will always be a wolf, the Shinsengumi will always be the Shinsengumi, and a manslayer will always be a manslayer. Correct, Battousai?” 

As Kenshin turned at his words, Saito’s image faded from view and Kenshin fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This series continues on in Blood Stained Kiss.


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